The effect of the APD Apodization lens element is most pronounced at F2.8 and gradually diminishes until F8 where the lens operates like a normal 100mm lens – but if you’re after beautiful bokeh, I don’t have to tell you that you’ll want to shoot wide open…

What this lens is not…and what it is…

The Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS lens is not a low-light lens to shoot in near darkness. If you need a F1.4 lens you should buy a Sony FE 85mm F1.4 G Master. However if you’re opening the lens to F1.4 just to blow the background out of focus, you’ll get prettier backgrounds with the FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS at F2.8 along with more of your subject in focus.

If you’re looking for swirly bokeh, or cat’s eye bokeh, or soap bubble bokeh that scream for attention – this is not the lens. However, if you’re looking for a 100mm fullframe lens that offers the smoothest and most natural bokeh – keep reading…

The Greater the Apodization Lens Light Loss – The Better the Bokeh

Among the four APD Apodization Lenses on the market, Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS has the greatest light loss – with a T-stop a full two stops below the rated max F-Stop. BUT this is NOT a bad thing. It means the FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS has the strongest APD Apodization effect. In other words – it has the Best Bokeh. Bear in mind that most lenses on the market have of T-stop between 1/3 – 1/2 stop less than their rated max F-stop.

Once you get to F8 and below, the Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS operates like a standard telephoto lens with no additional T-stop compensation.

Bokeh Comparisons to Standard 100mm F2.8 Lenses

If you’re asking yourself “why” would you want such a lens – the answer is in the background – as in the area you didn’t focus upon. While many lenses in Sony’s line up produce extremely sharp in-focus areas, the Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS quite simply produces the most natural out-of-focus bokeh of any lens ever made. Here’s a comparison with a standard 100mm F2.8 (non-APD) lens:

Close Focus to 1:4 Magnification

While not a macro, the Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS has a close-focus switch that shifts a lens element for added close-focus range down to 0.57 meters for 1:4 magnification as shown in the images below.

Comments

j.a.

February 16, 2017

This is the kind of review I was looking forward to see with plenty of comparison photos, thanks so much for it.

For some reason the photos with the Sony 100mm f/2.8 AF Macro seems a tad warmer than the STF which I prefer but it wins in definition and softer bokeh. Not sure if you used the same camera swapping the lenses or they were two cameras.

I wish they could keep it as 135mm, to me, those additional 35mm make a difference and it would be perhaps a different segment than the 85mm GM.

I agree that the review glosses over the relationship between focal length and bokeh – to my mind, to lose 35mm of focal length induced bokeh and an additional half stop of light transmission through the apodization filter while maintaining a maximum aperture of f/2.8 is kind of a big deal for a A$2k lens. I shoot the Minolta original STF on a Sony SLT a99v – and have learned to live with the stop loss. Apodization is a 20 year old, brilliant concept – so I would describe this lens as “evolutionary” rather than “revolutionary”. That said – AF is interesting although I get focus peaking off the old system. The Laowa offering a shortening of the focal length and speeding up both the f-stop and T-stop is more of an innovation to my mind.

Bear in mind that the T-stop of most lenses is between 1/3 to 1/2 stop less than their F-stop. The Apodization element that results in such beasutiful bokeh wide open has greater light loss. This diminishes as you stop down and is gone at F8 (as is the exceptional bokeh)

“Losing 2 stops, if that is what you are saying, seems like a rather big deal.”

While it is definitely something to consider I don’t consider it a big deal at all for a few reasons. First of all (and I don’t want to confuse you) T-stops are a film/video term and are different than… F-stops that are used in still photography. T5.6 is roughly equivalent to F4.5 which is a lot less light loss than you are imagining.

Secondly, this is really a portrait lens, and although it can obviously be used for anything including close ups with it’s close focus mode; I imagine most photographers who buy this will often be using it with some sort of lighting setup if even only a flash or reflector…

Thirdly, In those other situations such as indoors or night/evening hours, the Sony cameras have incredible image stabilization Allowing for slower shutter speeds than one might normally use.

And…

Finally the SENSORS Sony puts in their cameras are amazing with high ISO and noise reduction. I can’t wait to use it on my A7S and I know the sensor in the A7RII is also pretty incredible.

As a wedding & portrait photographer I feel like this could easily become my go to lens over my 85 1.4 … Anyway that’s my two cents.

Hello Brian, thanks for the great review. I saw that you use the LA-EA3 adaper to make the 100mm STF faster but how did you do that? The 100mm STF is a E-Mount lens and the LA-EA3 turns the A7Rii into a A-Mount. So how did u fit that or what do i miss?

I have dozens of lenses and have been shooting video/ stills for 35 years and this lens is nothing short of amazing. If you are sitting on the fence it is time to jump off and buy this lens. You will not be sorry. Feels great in the hand to boot.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith creates iconic portraits of the famous and infamous for magazines, books and advertising. He has appeared on The X Factor, Fine Living Network and Israel Channel One and exhibited at the Library of Congress and the Aperture Gallery.